6 Things Yoga Teachers Wish You Would Stop Doing

You might expect yoga instructors not to have a single care in the world, considering the focus in their profession of cultivating some serious zen.

Yes, the ancient practice typically helps us direct our energy inward, but it's not always easy to ignore external distractions and detractors during class. In an effort to help make your favorite yoga studio even more of an oasis, we asked a handful of instructors what they wish we'd all just stop doing. Here are their top requests.

Practicing With Force

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"There has been a stigma with yoga that you have to force and struggle in order to achieve 'the pose'. Practicing with force puts stress into the body and mind -- and doesn't feel that great. If people shift this concept to moving with ease, more can be accomplished with less effort, and it feels great and free. More space opens mentally and physically."
--Tara Stiles, founder and owner of Strala

Comparing Yourself To Others

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"Stop comparing yourself to others and take poses for your body and ability. I see many students struggle to take poses they are not ready for. Students see others take poses and they think they too should be able to do that particular arm balance or more advanced version of a pose. The thing is, students need to remember that they are in a class of varied levels. Some people might have been practicing for 10 years longer than you or might just have more flexibility or strength. Recognize this and be okay with it. Then you will grow your practice slow and steady just like intended."
--Vyda Bielkus, yoga teacher and co-founder of Health Yoga Life

Asking No Questions

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"I would love yoga students to start asking me more questions and giving me more feedback before or after class. I love it when people tell me, 'Wow, I loved that sequence!' or 'Can we do inversions?' I always seem to fall back on my favorite ways of teaching, and it really helps to have feedback. I don't want my students to be shy!"
--Kristin McGee, celebrity yoga and Pilates instructor

Needing All The Answers

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"I believe that as yoga practitioners we have to remind ourselves that we don't have to have the answers. The pose doesn't have to 'look perfect'. It's about the feeling you have inside that's the most important.

Yoga ignites my inner childhood spirit. In a way, it helped me to save my life, and it helped me to overcome many demons I was battling inside. I hope that those practicing yoga receive the same joy and life it brings me."
--Michelle R. Grosodonia

Ignoring Props

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"Please use props! Yoga is not about showing off your flexibility or your muscles, and you certainly won't get much out of the practice if you're forcing yourself into poses (which almost always means you're doing them incorrectly). The hour you spend on your mat at yoga class isn't about impressing people or being the best -- ease yourself into poses and listen to your body. Props can be an amazing tool to help you to get into the correct alignment of a pose and to find your comfortable level in any posture. Using blocks or blankets doesn't make you any less of a yogi -- but trying to one-up your neighbor sure does!"
--Carolyn Gregoire, features editor, The Huffington Post

Chasing A Pose

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"Stop trying to 'get a pose'. I hear so many students say, 'I want to do a crow pose.' 'I want to do headstand.' Most yoga poses are not something you can just get. The poses go together. For example, as you learn low push and downward dog this will prepare you to take crow pose. As you build balance in standing poses and core strength, this will actually help you find headstand. Yoga is not a practice of stand alone poses but rather a sequence of poses that are designed to work together."
--Bielkus

If you only do one yoga pose after a long day at work, make it a downward-facing dog, a holistic pose that stretches and strengthens many parts of the body. To come into the pose, move into an inverted "V' shape. With hands outstretched in front and you, lift the hips and ground the feet (at about hips-width apart) into the floor. Ground all the fingers into the floor and point them forward, bring your attention to the breath as you enjoy the stretch for 30-60 seconds.
"It helps you lengthen and strengthen muscles in the body," says Vidya Bielkus, certified yoga teacher and co-founder of Health Yoga Life. "It reduces tension in the shoulders, relaxes the neck, and lets a little more blood flow get to the brain. You're also able to really stretch the legs, so if you're sitting all day, the legs are getting inactive."
The pose is also great for stretching out the wrists and hands, which may become sore or tired from hours of typing.